Fear
by whatamItyping
Summary: The worst has come to pass, and a storm has settled over London. A two parter, rated M for graphic(?) violence to be on the safe side. Slight Lucifendi if you squint.
1. Chapter 1

Part One

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For the first time in her entire life, Lucy Baker thought she was going to die. The threat of danger and death came with the job of being the force, she knew that. Regardless she had always charged straight ahead fearlessly and determined, earning more than one chastising session from her superiors, even the Prof. The constable had stood up to several murderers by now, weathered many threats, and had come out little worse for the wear and her pluck never shaken. Right at the moment, however, with his long fingers squeezing tighter around her neck, Lucy could honestly say she never experienced anything half as scary as the situation she found herself in.

How did this even happen? She couldn't even remember. Last thing she could recall at this point was having a cuppa with the Prof, gabbing away with him, when suddenly he just snapped. Throwing her against the wall, Alfendi, hair in face, held up his assistant up with one hand by her throat. Had it been something she said? It became too hard to think. Lucy struggled against the hold, grabbing desperately at his hands, a swinging her legs to try and kick the inspector off. Angry bitter words spilled out of his mouth, but they flew over her head as her vision started to tunnel.

"P-Prof! Stop it! … You're g-gunna kill-!" she croaked, no pleaded. Strength was being sapped from her flailing limbs. The fight in her slowly died. "Prof! Al-alfendi! P-please!" Abruptly, the grip disappeared and Lucy found herself on her feet again, strike that, knees as she gasped for air. Looking upward at her previous assailant, her gaze met with his horrified shocked face. Obviously Potty Prof was gone - for now-, leaving his placid side to deal with the aftermath. His mouth hung open in shock; his hands clutching at his hair and head as if that would prevent another transformation.

"L-Lucy.. I'm … I'm so sorry I-" The inspector was at a loss for words, wincing visibly as his assistant flinched at his offered hand to help her up. The pain and distrust in her eyes felt like a stab to the stomach. She offered a shaky smile, though Alfendi knew that she was miles away from okay. A wave of sickness crashed over him; he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. And so he made no excuses or attempts to stop the girl as she hastily made a reason to leave early for the day and slipped out of them room.

"I-I'll see ya soon okay, Prof? Just gotta regather my bearings and all. I'm sure I'll be right as rain in no time." She was being too kind. Honestly, he didn't expect her to come back.

And she didn't.

Days passed after the incident, and the Detective Constable never darkened the doorway of the office once. A gloom settled over the room, items and papers in more disarray than normal. Everyone noted the absence of the normally bold and springy Baker with slight confusion. Nobody knew why the assistant was not busily working hard beside her mentor as she normally did. The inspector wasn't talking either. In fact the man barely uttered more than simple phrases at a time these days, and frankly the gross bout of apathy the man had fallen into had gotten underneath a certain friend of his's skin.

"Hey Al I got -sniff- that full case file you requested." Casually Florence rolled over to the desk where, somehow through all that mess, the inspector was halfheartedly working through some forms.

"Ah, Thank you Florence, just leave it on the top of that stack," Layton murmured, not looking up, "I'll get to it in a minute…" Unimpressed, the scientist merely stared at him for several minutes until Alfendi finally looked up quizzically at her. "Do you need something-"

"So where's Lucy ventured off to these days?" Immediately Al froze, a silent plea of 'please don't ask' flashing across his face. Sich ignored it. "That Baker is as industrious as a bee-cough- and loves this gig to boot. It's not like her to miss so many days of work." A loud sigh came from her cornered friend. "So, Al, do you have any insight on the matter?"

"Is this really necessary-"

"If you don't want me to start calling you 'Prof' in her stead, yes." Sich threatened, holding back another sneeze. Part of her hated to use it on him, but the exploitation was required. She smirked, and fun. With another deep sigh and breath, he began spilling most of what had happened. Not all of it, Alfendi left out the attempted strangling bit for 'seriously hurting' instead as he couldn't really bring himself to really say it out loud. His friend got the gist anyway, whistling and promptly sneezing.

"So he just suddenly lunged out did he? Well there wasn't much you could do about that Al. You said yourself, he's been more unpredictable and- achoo!- active lately."

"Exactly, I should've been more alert and cautious. I knew what he was capable of; it's nobody's fault but my own."

"Hm, still doesn't add up to me. Lucy isn't the type to just slink away after receiving a fright. She'd have at least given a notice of absence by now," Florence sniffed, "I think you should at least go check up on her, Al. Something's not right. Lucy would've at least stuck her head in to see you, granted maybe not alone, but still."

"I don't think that's a wise decision. Causing her more alarm would-"

"Oh Al, just go. We all know you're worried to death about her, take Justin if you're worried about safety. Achoo! I'm sure he'd be willing to meet you there. He hasn't popped out since right?"

"No but-"

"It'll be fine. –cough- If you wimp outta this, I swear by my entire IV drip collection I will not let you live it down Alfendi."

Faced with such a threat he finally acquiesced. Eventually he found himself on the street in front of her house, debating on whether to go up with or without Justin who hadn't yet arrived. His curiosity got the best of him. Moments later, a hesitant knock resounded at Lucy's door. No response.

"Lucy? Are you there?" the inspector called out, knocking once more, "I-I won't do anything. Justin's on his way and-" With every word coming out of his mouth, he hated himself more. He was at a loss for why he even agreed to come. Knocking one final time, he slumped against the door sliding into a sitting position and rubbing his face with his hands.

"Al." Justin had arrived. Wearily Alfendi looked up at him, only to see the other rubbing the back of his neck. An accurate tell of when he was reluctant to give bad news, Justin sighed before crossing his arms. "She's not here. I found out before coming to meet you… She's –she's in the hospital, Al."

On the way his friend filled him in on what details he knew, but in truth the whole ride was a blur for him. A hit and run took place on the afternoon when Lucy left in a scrambled hurry. Apparently the driver drove straight through a crosswalk, giving Lucy enough time and the presence of mind to push someone else out of the way toward safety. Her gumption knew no bounds, even after staring down death not an hour before. Now she really was in limbo; the constable had not woken up once since the accident, with no real sign of when or if she would. The knot in Al's stomach grew tighter when they went in to see her. Lucy looked almost lifeless, despite the peaceful expression her face had settled into. Tiredly, he settled in the seat next to her, blearily starting at and through his seemingly sleeping assistant. Justin cleared his throat.

"They say they found strange bruising around her neck that wasn't consistent with the rest of her injuries." Alfendi clenched his fists. "So what exactly did happen that day Al?"

"Oh, what do you think happened?" the inspector hissed, his demeanor changing instantly. "You can put two and two together Justin; don't act more simpleminded than you already are."

"I think I'm going have to detain and escort you out of here if you keep it up." Justin fired back his response, not even batting an eye at the sudden transformation. "Especially now that you've actually done something. Don't you think you've done enough damage for a while, Al?"

"Unfortunately for you I have, yes. But I'm staying awhile anyway. The imposter's too tired and weighed down to deal with any of this, the weakling."

"I'd say he has as strong a will as you do from where I'm standing. Plus his remorse for your actions seems a bit more genuine than your impatient insults. Come on Al, fess up already." The red head simply glowered at him growling lowly.

"Fine. Yes, I attempted to strangle her alright? I don't even remember why exactly. All I recall is being so furious that everything blurred red." Alfendi hunched over, gazing at his hands barely hiding his disgust. "And despite what you might think, I'm not proud of it… It was a mistake." The admission left a bitter taste in his mouth. "You know me, knew me. I'm not the type."

"You're right; I knew you. But not anymore. I haven't understood you since the day you woke up. You're almost a perfect stranger to me now, Al." And so he was. That didn't stop the man from visiting every day, however, and he did. Under the simple condition that Justin or someone else qualified stayed nearby, Alfendi often spent his afternoons there in the hospital room. Sitting in the chair next to her bed, he completed paperwork, read up on cases new and old, and helplessly watched her chest rise and fall, the only sign that prevented him from viewing her as a corpse, his corpse. He went home every night nauseated. Sometimes he caught himself talking to her, about cases, about the weather, about Hollerday's newest hits, but mostly they were just mumbled apologizes and pleas. Surprisingly even his bad tempered side gave one or two, while chastising her for sleeping too long and 'losing her fighting spirit'. It seemed that on some level his other personality actually cared about what became of the upbeat constable, and even regretted his actions. As weeks began to pass, however, the bitter reality of it being too little too late started setting in.

One day, just after the three week mark had passed, he entered the hospital only to be immediately stopped by Justin. "Before you go in, Al, you need to know something," the officer started, putting his hands in air out in front of him. "You see, there's been a change in her condition-"

"She's awake?"

"Well yeah, but there's something you need to know firs- Al, Come back! I wasn't finished yet!" The warning fell on deaf ears. In a flash, the inspector had bolted off towards Lucy's room. Hesitantly, he stuck his head in the room scarcely allowing himself to believe it. It was true. Sitting up in the bed, she absentmindedly stretched while looking about the dull looking room.

"…Lucy?" Immediately red eyes met his, and a smile spread across her face.

"Aye, that's me!", Bake confirmed cheerily, "Thank Goodness you're here. I were growing bored out of m'mind!" Relief flowed through him, as it felt like the weight of the world was being lifted off his shoulders after the longest time. "Now, you'll have to excuse me- I can't even remembering passing my constable test can you believe it?- but eh, who're you again?"

The dream shattered. Covered in a cold sweat, Alfendi launched upwards from his position on his couch. Threateningly thunder crackled outside. He tried to recollect himself. The nightmare was over.

* * *

Based on the prompt: Make potty prof scare Lucy really bad, and another one that is basically this whole thing condensed welp.


	2. Chapter 2

Part two! Based on the prompt: Prof has a horrible nightmare and it's so bad that he comes to Lucy's house even though it's pouring rain outside and seeks comfort from her.

Hope you enjoy!

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Rain pelted the entire city. A murky black night sky violently flashed as thunder boomed and the wind howled mournfully. Lucy turned her head to watch the storm outside continue tirelessly through her window. She pitied any poor soul who had to work this time at night. It sounded dreadful, and she was in a warm dry flat curled up in bed. Burying her head in her pillow, the awoken constable let out a muffled sigh. There was little chance of just rolling over and counting sheep to fall back asleep; time to pull out the big guns.

Groggily, Lucy donned her slippers and her old robe before blindly bumbling out of her bedroom to find the flat's kitchen. A warm drink should fix her up just fine, just fine indeed. She'd be back to catching those crooks in her dream in no time. Sleepily smiling, she flicked on a couple lights and started deciding on exactly what would be appropriate to drink this time at night, before a strange knocking sound echoed out. It nearly gave her a heart attack. Was she hearing things? Pausing to see if the noise returned, the blonde's ears perked up as it happened again. Clearly someone was dropping in for a visit… at 2 am in the morning. Alert but still extremely curious, the detective slowly approached the door and grabbed the nearest thing that could be used for whacking, an umbrella. Then, rubbing the remainder of grogginess out of her eyes, she peeked through the peephole. The umbrella fell out of her hand.

"By'eck Prof! What are you doing out there in the rain like this?!" The man looked horrible. Drenched to the bone, obviously he had spent a fair amount of time in the torrential downpour outside. More than that though, he looked exhausted and downtrodden. Noticeably slumped over, Alfendi merely offered a small apologetic smile that masked a great wave of relief.

"Ah, Lucy… I realize the time", suddenly it dawned on the inspector how little he thought this through. It was a rarity for him to act this rashly, and now, as he stood soaked to the bone on his assistant's doorstep, the off the cuff plan to confirm her wellbeing seemed completely ridiculous. "I'm sorry if I woke you and for the sudden itrusi-" A strong tug on his arm interrupted his apology as the young woman dragged him inside.

"Never mind all that, you're going to catch your death out here!" Lucy insisted, closing the door behind them and then scampering off, "Wait 'ere I'll get you a towel." In a flurry of movements, his dripping wet white coat got removed, a thrown towel landed on his face, and the man was pushed backward onto a small sofa. So much for disturbing her, his midnight visit appeared to have little to no effect on the constable as she put a kettle on for tea. Sighing and shaking his head, he began to dry himself off. "You want a cuppa? I were just about to make myself summat to drink before you knocked, actually! Loud enough to wake the dead out there, it is." Alfendi nodded.

"Yes, thank you, that'd be fine…"

"Great, I'll have it ready in a jiff!" Sure enough he soon received a steaming hot cup of earl grey, as Lucy plopped down beside him with her own drink. "So what's up, Prof? You're not one to going running around in storms… or anywhere that's not the mystery room for that matter." She kept her inquiries as casual as possible, but there were too many pressing questions she held back that clearly danced in her eyes. He looked as if seen a ghost when she opened the door, and though now he seemed much more calm and comforted, sadness was still etched in his fingers. She'd never quite seen him so uneasy, or lacking his normal, hard to disturb composure. Well, disregarding Potty Prof anyway. It took a while for her mentor to finally respond, his gaze never leaving his cup.

"Lucy…Why are you still working at the mystery room?"

"Because it's my job of course! That's a silly question; I were assigned there to help you out! Why-"

"If you asked I'm sure you could get reassigned with little trouble. No one would blame you I'm sure."

"But who says I wanna get moved elsewhere?!" What the heck was he driving at? Saying stuff like that without even looking her in the eye, she didn't care how depressed the man looked, that was too much! "What's with this talk Prof?! I ain't going anywhere- Do ya want me to leave?" Alfendi winced at her accusation, before finally tearing his eyes away from his drink.

"No, no I don't," he admitted, "Like I said, I hope you stay on for a long time yet. Honestly these past few months have been…better than I thought they would be at the start, much better in fact. It's just…" The inspector shifted uncomfortably, scratching his head before letting out a drawn out sigh. "_Him_. He's threatened you before I know-"

"You mean Potty Prof? Issat what this is about?" He nodded meekly, traces of shame becoming more evident in his body language. Suddenly things started clicking into place. "Ya don't think I'm gunna run just because of your Jekyll and hydeing, surely?"

"I don't see why you wouldn't actually. I'm not exactly stable or non-violent when I'm in that state. I'm sure others have warned you to be cautious as well. You're the one at most risk since it's usually just us in the office, and with the way he's been more active lately, it's only a matter of time before.. well."

"Oh come on Prof, I'm not going to find another place to work just because he has the cheek to throw those threats around. He acts like he's serious about em, but I don't think it's quite it you know? I've been around him by myself more than once now, and nowt's happened. Besides, danger's all a part of being on th' force right?" Setting down her cup, Lucy raised her fist in the air. "I knew that when I signed on, and, if you think about it, this is safer because at least I know about it ahead of time, instead of being caught off guard yea?" Confidence beaming off her form, Alfendi simply stared as if she had grown two heads, before letting out a soft chuckle. She really was something, his assistant.

"That's… an interesting line of logic to be sure." The constable nodded, proudly.

"It'll be fine Prof, don't worry about me! And while I'm not exactly sure, I don't think that other side of yours is really as violent as he seems, ya know? He certainly has a funny way at looking at murders, admiring them and all that, but he's never actually done anything besides helping us in a pinch! … and being awful vague about everything." She looked back at him just in time to see his eyes flash and his posture change.

"Are you insinuating I'm just blowing hot air when I speak, Baker?" Well now she'd done it, she'd tee'd off Potty while trying to reassure the other. Argh, she forgot the other could listen in on anything, awfully noisy of him even though she had been talking about 'im. "Gossiping about someone when they're right in front of you, your gumption really never stops does it?"

"Oi, settle down Potty Prof! Nowt I've said about you has been rude…" she huffed before suddenly something struck her. That could be the ticket! "Besides you don't really want me to skip off either, right?" Alfendi inspected her skeptically. Hmph, he knew what she was trying to do here. Fine then.

"I couldn't care less what happens to you, Baker, though you've proved yourself more competent than several other dimwits at the station," he started, crossing his arms, his words as sharp as his glare. The girl had good instincts and was sharp enough to spot some things others missed; the detective also stood her ground well, not showing nearly the amounts of fear and disbelief he was used to receiving. Yes, she was useful enough, but deserving of his respect? No, not yet. His eyes narrowed. "I stand by my yapping comment, however. You could really learn when to stop talking; else I might relieve that privilege for you." The threat made her warily hesitate for a moment before she shook it off.

"Well if that's your only complaint, then I don't see the problem here!" Lucy chimed, ignoring the quizzical and dubious look the darker half of her mentor shot her, "I'm sure you'll get over that soon enough-"

"Get over it- now wait just a damn minute, Baker. I'm no- Gah! No!" Abruptly Alfendi grabbed his head as if suffering from a large headache. "I'm not- … ugh… I'm sorry; he slipped out again." Lucy's brow furrowed. He just looked guiltier than ever now.

"There's nowt you could've done Prof! Besides I were asking for it to be honest. Talking all about 'im and all." Nervously, she scratched the back of her neck before promptly turning herself toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Anyway it's just as I said! I'm quite alright wi' working here, Potty Prof or not! I can handle it; threats don't bother me too much, else I wouldn't be a good DC, aye?" Offering her most comforting smile, Lucy thought desperately of other reassuring things to say. The thought of her having to comfort the other never crossed her mind before now. Agh, how did someone calm someone so composed like the prof anyway? "S-so I ain't going nowhere. I'm sticking it out wi' you and the mystery room as long as I'm able! Don'tcha worry 'bout that Prof!" An agonizingly long moment of silence ensued before the inspector exhaled and lifted his head from his hands.

"…Thank you, Lucy, that means a lot." Al confessed, finally managing a sincere smile, which instantly brightened his assistant's face.

"No problem at all! It's the truth, Prof! Now how's that tea?"

* * *

Much later, after the storm had cleared, the sun had begun to rise, and conversation had quieted down, Alfendi blinked open his eyes. Apparently at some point in their late night conversing about various cases and current events he had drifted off, and he wasn't the only one. Leaning flush against his side, Lucy peacefully continued sleeping. He found himself smiling again. Carefully the inspector extracted himself from the couch, gently maneuvering her to rest against the back of the sofa instead.

"Thanks for the tea…" he mumbled softly before pausing a moment. A silent mental debate racked back and forth until he swiftly bent down to press a chaste kiss on the constable's forehead and made his quiet exit. "I'll see you at work."


End file.
